What Do You Want for Christmas?
by LemonsAreSweet
Summary: Charlie and Bass both show up at Miles' Christmas Eve Eve party with other dates, but they quickly realize they came to the party with the wrong people. AU, no blackout. Lemons and Charloe. Written for LemonSupreme as part of the Good Ship Charloe's exchange.


**A/N: This fic was written for LemonSupreme as part of The Good Ship Charloe's Christmas exchange. It was a little daunting writing for someone I admire so much—I hope I did her prompt justice, which was "Charlie and Bass both have come to the Matheson family Christmas party with dates, however, they are soon unable to deny that they came to the party with the wrong people." Happy belated holidays, everyone! **

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Charlie reached underneath a large fake wreath and opened the door of her Uncle Miles' apartment. "Hello?" she called out.

"Merry Christmas Eve Eve!" Miles exclaimed in response, stepping out of the kitchen to greet her. Charlie was the first to arrive at Miles' traditional annual December 23rd party, a gathering of friends who had not yet scattered to hometowns or vacation spots for the holiday itself.

"Wow, you've really outdone yourself," Charlie marveled, looking at the decorations. A Christmas tree laden with ornaments and lights stood in the corner, with a few wrapped gifts beneath; a lit garland outlined the balcony door; Santas and snowmen were scattered about; and Miles' gas fireplace cast a cheery, warm glow across the room. "Who knew that hard-ass Miles was such a sucker for Christmas?"

Miles rolled his eyes. "Careful, kid, or Santa's going to take back your Christmas present," he warned.

Laughing, Charlie dove in to helping Miles make final preparations for his guests to arrive. Miles' girlfriend, Nora, arrived shortly after Charlie, and the three of them put out food, stocked the bar, and bickered over the perfect Christmas mood music, finally settling on holiday jazz.

Over the course of the next hour or so, guests poured in, until the apartment was alive with the sounds of conversation, drinking, and laughter. As each new person entered, Charlie's stomach knotted with anticipation. She refused to admit to herself why that was, pretending only to be curious about who had arrived.

Once again, Charlie heard the door open and glanced over to the front hallway. When she saw who it was, this time her tension ratcheted up rather than dissipating. Her heart began to pound, and her hands suddenly felt very clumsy around her drink. Bass was here. He looked unreasonably handsome in dark jeans and a navy zip-neck sweater that set off his blue eyes.

Quickly, Charlie glanced down, but not before she had made eye contact with him. She scolded herself for being so childish and raised her head again. When she saw that Bass was still looking at her, she waved to him. _Like a normal person waves to a friend_, she reminded herself.

But Bass was so much more to her than that, despite her valiant efforts to ignore her feelings because he was decidedly off-limits. Bass was the best friend of her extremely overprotective uncle, and over twice her age. Not that her raging crush cared about any of that. That part of her only cared about his sarcastic sense of humor, his keen intelligence, his fierce loyalty to his friends, his unexpected playfulness at times… and of course the fact that he was drop-dead sexy. As Charlie had gotten dressed that night in a tight, red, long-sleeved dress, she wouldn't allow herself to consciously think that she hoped Bass liked it. Even though she did.

As Bass made his way into the room, Charlie noticed with dismay that he wasn't alone. At his side was a tall woman with hugely curly blond hair, wearing a silver tank top that left little to the imagination. Charlie hated her on sight. Bass led his date over to where Charlie was standing with Miles and Nora.

"Hey, Merry Christmas Eve Eve!" Miles gave his standard greeting, as he and Bass shook hands and half-hugged.

"You too," Bass replied. "Everyone, this is Jess." The blonde waved enthusiastically. "Jess, this is Miles, Nora, and Charlie."

"Oh my god, I just LOVE your condo," Jess gushed to Miles. "It must have cost a FORTUNE."

Miles quirked an eyebrow at her, darting his eyes at Bass. "Thanks. Can I get y'all a drink?" He took their orders and hustled off. At the same time, Charlie mumbled an excuse about needing to check on the sound system and also walked off, leaving the pair alone with Nora. _Sorry, Nora_, she thought. _I can't handle talking to Bass and Christmas Party Barbie._

A little while later, Charlie was in the otherwise-vacant kitchen, digging in the fridge for mixers. Finding some soda, she turned around to see Bass standing at the sink getting a glass of water.

"Jack and coke?" Charlie offered, holding up the bottle.

Bass shook his head and smiled, "I'm good, thanks. Taking a round off."

Charlie nodded, and then, unable to help herself, she said, "By the way, your date seems really great." Charlie didn't quite manage to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "I love her thoughts on real estate."

Bass' smile morphed into a smirk. "Yeah, well. What about you? Miles told me you were bringing some guy to this thing."

Charlie froze. She'd completely forgotten that she'd mentioned Kevin to her uncle. Frankly, she'd forgotten about Kevin completely, she'd been so distracted by Bass. Kevin was a guy she'd met at the gym a week or so ago. He was cute enough, and when he asked her out, she figured it couldn't hurt to bring him to Miles' party, rather than show up alone as she always did. At the time, she'd even thought it might make Bass a little bit jealous.

"Um, yeah… I am. He had to work tonight. I mean, he's coming later," she explained awkwardly.

"Too bad," Bass said quietly, then walked off before Charlie could ask him what the hell he meant by that.

Kevin did finally show up, and Charlie was relieved to have someone to talk to, even if he wasn't the most exciting conversationalist. Making small talk with her uncle's friends was killing her. Usually, she and Bass would hang out at Miles' parties, but this time, he was busy with Jess. Charlie struggled to pay attention to Kevin, but she found her gaze involuntarily drifting back over to Bass every few minutes.

But as the night went on, Charlie began to loosen up and enjoy flirting and talking with Kevin. He was pretty focused on fitness and working out, but it also turned out that he had traveled to some interesting places. His mother was a politician, so he had joined her on lots of trips. Charlie was slightly concerned that Kevin was drinking a lot, really fast, but she figured he knew how to handle himself.

Around 1 a.m., Charlie and Kevin were standing by the Christmas tree. Charlie was explaining the stories behind some of the ornaments to him, when she saw Miles walk quickly over to Bass, who was on the couch with Jess just a few feet away. Miles pulled his key out of his pocket and handed it to Bass.

"Hey, brother, will you make sure all these degenerates actually leave my house at the end of the night and lock up for me?" Miles asked with a huge grin on his face.

"Why, where the hell are you going?" Bass asked. Miles just kept grinning, and Bass rolled his eyes. "Seriously? You guys can't wait another couple of hours?"

"Nora wants to get going!" Miles exclaimed tipsily. "And what Nora wants, Nora gets!"

"Unbelievable," Bass said. "Go on, fine, I'll shut your party down. You total and utter ass."

"Thank you!" Miles practically skipped over to where Nora was waiting at the back of the room with her coat over one arm. Charlie heard the door slam behind them as they left.

"Looks like your uncle is about to get some serious action." Charlie felt Kevin speaking into her ear and whirled around.

She laughed and said, "Yeah, I guess so. Anyway, what was I saying? Oh, this one of the Eiffel Tower, funny story, Miles has never actually been to Paris…"

"Maybe we should get out of here, too," Kevin interrupted her, sliding his hand around her waist and pulling her close to him. Charlie could smell the sharp scent of vodka on his breath. "Get a cab to my place."

Charlie stepped back, trying to put distance between herself and Kevin. "I'm good here," she said, then tried to change the subject. "You want anything else to eat?"

Kevin stumbled as he stepped closer to her again, knocking into the tree, causing it to sway slightly. "No I don't wanna eat anything. Except maybe you!" He laughed at his joke, then grabbed her forearm and started to tug her toward the door. "Come on, seriously, let's go."

Forcefully, Charlie yanked her arm down. "I am not going anywhere, but maybe you should," she spat defiantly. "In fact, why don't you get the hell out of here."

Kevin's eyes narrowed. "Oh, I see how it is. Just another cock tease, huh? Make me waste my whole night, and you don't even wanna hook up?" Kevin's voice had grown louder until he was practically shouting. Suddenly, he lunged toward Charlie with both hands out.

Before Kevin could touch her again, Bass leapt off the couch where he had been sitting and put himself in front of Charlie. Kevin crashed into him clumsily, then shoved Bass away from him, hard. "What the fuck, man?"

"You need to leave. Now." Bass said in a dangerous tone.

"And who the fuck is going to make me?" Kevin challenged, drawing himself up to his full height.

Bass didn't answer Kevin, just stared him down, his jaw clenched. Kevin looked Bass up and down and finally shrugged, smiling coldly.

"Whatever, man. You wanna play night in shining armor? She's been eye-fucking you all night anyway. So have fun with that." He turned quickly and strode away. A few seconds later, they heard the door slam.

"You okay?" Bass asked, turning around to look at Charlie. Her breath caught at the intensity in his eyes, and she nodded.

"Oh my god!" Jess bounced up from the couch, where she'd been watching everything. "That was amazing!" She grabbed Bass' arm, pressing her breasts into him. "You totally scared that guy!"

Bass' face flashed with annoyance briefly, then cleared. Charlie stepped around him and Jess and quietly muttered, "Excuse me." She had a sudden need to get away from them, from everyone. The crowd had thinned out quite a bit by that point. Only Bass, Jess, and three other couples remained. Charlie made her way to the kitchen and started cleaning up. Lost in thought, she put away food and cleaned glasses.

Inviting Kevin to the party had been a huge mistake, she now knew. Not only because he turned out to be a jerk. Even if he'd been a nice guy, he wasn't Bass. Charlie hadn't realized how accustomed she'd gotten to spending time with Bass when they were both at Miles', how they naturally gravitated toward each other. She'd messed that up, going for some lame attempt at Christmas romance with Kevin. Charlie admitted to herself that she'd rather spend her time with Bass, even just as friends, than try to force herself to date someone who didn't measure up to him. Sighing, she tried not to consider the possibility that no one ever would.

After a while, Charlie finished cleaning up and poured herself a fresh glass of bourbon. Feeling calmer, she headed back out into the living room, ready to face everyone again and put on a good, sociable face.

But when she stepped into the room, she saw Bass sitting on the couch alone, swirling a glass of liquor in his hand. Her breath caught in her throat, and she hesitated briefly before continuing and sitting on the other end of the couch. Bass eyed her curiously.

"Where'd everyone go?" she asked, meaning, where did Jess go.

"Jess was pretty drunk. Dave and Anna said they'd help her get a cab," he answered, straight to the point.

Charlie nodded, not responding right away. After a few seconds, she said, "Thanks for… your help. With Kevin."

Bass looked at her seriously. "You've never brought a guy around before. Why that jackass?"

Embarrassed, Charlie hesitated before answering. "He's just some guy I met. I guess I asked him because… it seemed too depressing to be alone for yet another Christmas party."

Bass nodded. "I wish I could say you get used to it. Speaking from experience."

"You didn't seem very alone tonight," Charlie said, still stung by seeing Bass with another woman, even though she knew she had no right to be upset.

Bass waved his hand dismissively and said, "I shouldn't have brought her. I was being petty."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, when Miles told me you had some date for tonight, I sure as hell wasn't about to show up alone."

With Bass' admission, the air between them grew thick with tension. Charlie was unsure how to respond. She decided to play it off, keep things light. "Yeah, I guess you and I are sort of the perpetually single ones. Sorry I sold out."

Bass laughed. "Please don't stay single on my account." He paused, then added, "But also, please never see that Kevin guy again."

Ruefully, Charlie said, "Trust me, I wasn't planning to."

They both took sips of their drinks at the same time, then Bass continued, "Seriously, though. Why don't you find someone to date? The guys at your school can't all be total losers."

Charlie was suddenly irritated by the turn the conversation had taken. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she felt like Bass teasing her, or like he knew something she didn't. Feeling self-conscious, she stared into her bourbon and answered, "I don't know. Nothing feels right with anyone else." As the words tumbled out of her mouth, she felt her face burning and quickly went on, hoping he hadn't noticed her slip. "It's always awkward, or boring, or… I don't know."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Bass studying her. As the song playing over speakers drew to a close, the room fell into a mortifying silence. Another piece started, and Bass stood, putting his glass down.

Stepping over to Charlie, Bass held out his hand. She looked up at him, standing over her, backlit by the Christmas tree and fireplace. Charlie's mouth suddenly felt dry, and her heart sped up. She felt like something very significant was happening.

"Dance with me," Bass said matter-of-factly.

"What? No. Why?" Charlie actually tried to sink further into the couch cushions, not trusting herself to do anything else.

With exaggerated patience and a hint of a smile, Bass said, "Stop overthinking everything for five minutes and just dance with me. Please."

Finally putting her hand in his, Charlie allowed Bass to tug her to her feet and pull her into his arms. He felt even better than she had imagined he would, warm and strong and confident. They'd given each other friendly hugs hello and goodbye, of course, but nothing like this. Nothing like him actually holding her, one of his hands firmly on her lower back, the other holding hers as they swayed to the music.

Charlie looked over Bass' shoulder, not daring to look into his eyes. If she knew Bass, he had something in mind here. She just had to wait him out. What was he up to? Was this some kind of lesson about getting back on the horse after a bad date?

After a few beats, Bass leaned his head into hers and said softly into her ear, "What do you want for Christmas, Charlie?"

She laughed breathlessly, incredibly aroused by the feeling of his breath on her skin. All her mind could think of to say in response was, _you, you, you_. Instead, she said, "I think Miles is getting me a gun."

Bass chuckled. "I think you're right. But that's not what I asked."

Charlie frowned and pulled back to look at him. The intensity she saw in Bass' blue eyes belied the easy smile on his face. "I don't know. Why, what do _you_ want for Christmas?"

Bass stared her down for a couple of seconds, then pulled her in closer to him. Charlie rested her head on his chest, savoring the feeling of firm muscle there, the rise and fall of his breath.

"If it's not too selfish to ask for a person…" He began, his voice low and serious. "I've known what I want for awhile now. I want someone brilliant. Brave. Tender-hearted even if she tries to hide it. Funny as hell. Someone who knows me, good and bad. And sees through all my bullshit…" Charlie's breath caught as he went on. He was describing her. Somehow-it couldn't be-but it was, she was almost sure.

"And of course, beautiful. So damn beautiful I can hardly stand it sometimes. Beautiful enough that I couldn't go another minute without touching her and had to beg her to dance with me in the middle of an empty living room." Resting his cheek against her hair, he finished, "That's what I want."

Charlie thought her heart might burst, she was so happy, yet nervous. Unable to speak for a few seconds, she finally just whispered, "Bass." Then she turned her head and planted a soft kiss on the side of his neck, once, twice, letting her tongue dart out to taste his skin.

Bass made a low hum deep in his throat, and pulled away from her slightly. Looking down into her face, his voice ragged, he asked her again: "Tell me, Charlie. Out loud. What do you want?"

Dropping her eyes for a moment, then raising them back up to his, Charlie mustered as much confidence as she could. "You're really going to make me say it?" At her question, he just raised his eyebrows briefly and waited.

Sighing, Charlie gave in. "It's you. Just you. That's what I want."

Lowering his mouth close to hers, Bass murmured, "Good." Then he kissed her. The kiss was warm, and sweet, not at all what Charlie had pictured in the many times she imagined tackling Bass and devouring him. Bass held her tenderly, pressing the length of their bodies together, gradually deepening their kiss.

They broke apart briefly, panting, and this time Charlie rose up slightly on her tiptoes to kiss Bass again, running her fingers eagerly through his hair. Enough gentle. Enough sweet. She had wanted this man for so long she hardly remembered anything else. And finally, she could have him.

Charlie's teeth nipped lightly at Bass' lips, and he growled in response, lifting her off her feet for a second in his effort to get even closer to her. His hands ran all over her back, finally running down to cup her ass firmly, pulling her against him. Charlie could feel his erection through his jeans, pressing into her body through her thin dress. Her breath caught in her throat with excitement, and she darted her hand down and ran it over the hard ridge. Bass' cock was just as imposing as every other part of him, and both he and Charlie groaned as she felt him for the first time.

"Jesus," Bass said into the side of her neck, sucking and biting at her throat. Without warning, he ran his hands down her thighs and back up, pulling the hem of her dress up enough so he could touch her. Agonizingly slowly, softly, he ran his fingers over the black silky material of her thong, feeling her aroused sex. Charlie clung to his shoulders desperately, aching for more.

Capturing her lips in another hot kiss, Bass slipped his fingers inside her panties and ran his fingers along her slit. Charlie bucked against him involuntarily, and he held her firmly with his other arm. Bass worked his fingers expertly, spreading her wetness, sliding one finger inside her, then two, rubbing her clit with his thumb. Charlie felt herself beginning to come apart and let it happen, completely abandoning herself to Bass as he pleasured her. Finally, she came with a gasp, her muscles clenching around Bass' fingers, moisture gushing onto her thighs.

Her head spinning with her orgasm, Charlie was only dimly aware of Bass walking her back toward the couch, where she sat down as he kneeled on the floor in front of her. He removed her high heels then ran his hands up her calves. Charlie closed her eyes in pleasure; all her nerve endings were extra-sensitive from her orgasm, and his touch felt exquisite.

Bass' hands continued up, over her knees, up her thighs and stopped at her hips. He hooked his fingers under the lace of her thong and looked up at her, silently asking permission. In response, Charlie raised her hips so that he could remove her panties. Carefully, he pulled them down her legs, and, Charlie noticed with some amusement, stuck them in the pocket of his jeans. Bass saw her noticing and quirked an eyebrow at her with a slight smirk. Then he returned his hands to her thighs, pushing them apart, exposing her pussy to him. Leaning in, he began to plant kisses along her inner thighs, working his way toward her core.

Even as her body screamed for more, Charlie said, "Bass, you don't… have to."

Looking up at her incredulously, Bass replied, "Charlie, fuck, I want to." With that, he licked a firm stroke right up her center, causing her to give a loud "oh!" of pleasure. His tongue darted inside her, where she was wettest, then back up and over her clit. Bass laved his tongue rhythmically against her, and Charlie felt delirious with pleasure. No man had ever done this for her before. Not like this.

Bass plunged his tongue into her depths for a few hot seconds and groaned, "Tastes so good." Bringing one hand up, he plunged two fingers inside her, twisting his hand to hit the nerve endings inside her that would give Charlie her climax. Suckling at her clit, Bass pumped his fingers in and out of her relentlessly, until Charlie was once again shaking and trembling beneath him. "God, Bass! Oh God…" she cried out as she came again, more intensely than the first time.

As she came down from her high, Bass pulled her off the couch, so she was straddling his lap on the floor, and held her tightly against him. Charlie felt like her bones had turned to jelly as she rested against him, almost completely spent. Almost. The feeling of Bass' hard cock jutting between them brought her back to earth, and she shifted against him gently, her exposed tissues feeling abraded by his jeans.

"Help me get this off," Charlie said, raising her hands to the zipper at the back of her neck. Bass worked the zipper down, then pulled the dress over her head and off her arms. As he did, Charlie quickly unhooked her strapless bra and cast it aside, so she sat astride Bass completely naked. Immediately, he ran his hands up her sides and over her breasts, palming her flesh there, teasing her nipples to hardness.

Trying to ignore the amazing feeling of Bass' rough palms against her sensitive nipples, she reached down to his waist and pulled impatiently on his sweater. "This has to go," she said. Obligingly, Bass leaned back slightly and whipped his sweater and undershirt off.

Charlie had thought Bass would look good shirtless, but she was not prepared for this. He was all cut muscle and smooth skin, with a smattering of tattoos and even more scars. Eagerly, she ran her hands over his body, savoring the feeling of strength there, the coil of his muscles as he moved beneath her. Charlie lowered her head to taste him, then scraped her teeth gently down one pec, swirling her tongue over his nipple. In response, Bass dropped his head back and moaned in pleasure.

Smiling wickedly, Charlie pushed against Bass' chest until he took the hint and laid back on the floor, with her kneeling over him. Leaning up on his elbows, Bass watched as Charlie undid his belt and fly, then helped her along by pushing his jeans and boxers down his hips. Charlie pulled out Bass' cock, running her hand firmly up and down his rock-hard length. Bass groaned and dropped flat on the floor, pushing his hips up into her hands.

Charlie wasted no time and bent down, sliding her lips over Bass' considerable girth. She swirled her tongue over his tip and tasted the precum leaking out of his dick. Keeping one hand wrapped around his base, she worked her mouth up and down, loving the feeling of Bass' hardness in her mouth. Feeling him pulsing with arousal, with need for her, turned her on insanely. Charlie felt herself getting wetter as she filled her mouth with Bass, jerking him in time to the movements of her mouth.

Bass' hips started moving more frantically, and she realized he was close. Since she wasn't nearly done with him yet, she slid her mouth off him and crawled up so that they were lying side by side. Gratefully, Bass pulled her into a deep kiss, pinning her naked body against his. Charlie moved to straddle him, but he held her in place.

"Hold on," he commanded. Quickly, he removed the rest of his clothing, so they were both naked, lying side by side on the carpet. Then Bass rolled on top of her, supporting himself on his arms and knees.

"Is this okay?" he asked as he ran one hand up her thigh, pulling her leg up around his waist. Charlie hesitated. She was almost always on top during sex. She liked the feeling of being in control, of being the dominant one. But this time, Charlie wanted to yield to Bass. Wanted him to take her however he wished.

"Yeah, it's okay," Charlie said, and Bass met her eyes. Somehow, understanding dawned on his face, and he kissed her tenderly, pressing her into the floor beneath him. Charlie arched into him, feeling empty, needing him to fill her. Bass' free hand rubbed over her breasts, pinching her nipple roughly, then down to her center, where he stroked her engorged clit.

Charlie writhed beneath him. "Bass, please," she begged, pressing her pussy into his hand.

He paused and moved to get up, "Hold on, I have a condom somewhere…"

Charlie hooked her legs around him and pulled him back toward her. "It's okay. I'm on the pill." Bass looked at her questioningly. Feeling reckless, she added, "I want to feel you. All of you."

"Fuck," Bass said helplessly, and moved on top of her again. Charlie unwrapped her legs from around his waist, opening herself to him. Gazing intensely into her eyes, Bass wrapped one hand around his cock and stroked it against her wet slit. The feeling of his blunt tip, hot against her flesh, was so delicious, Charlie nearly screamed.

Then, finally, Bass pushed the head of his cock into her, spreading her folds, stretching her. He was so big, and it had been awhile—Charlie's insides burned slightly as she adjusted to his size. Pulling almost all the way out, Bass plunged back into her firmly, this time bottoming out inside her. They both cried out with the ecstasy of it, of Bass' cock finally being buried in Charlie. Bass didn't hesitate, pulling out and plunging in again, filling Charlie over and over.

Charlie worked her hips against Bass, matching his rhythm, getting him as deep as she could, feeling completed as his strong body worked inside her. "Bass," she cried weakly. "So good."

"Ugh, so tight," he moaned in response. "Charlie, fuck…" Cutting himself off, he kissed her deeply, swiftly stroking into her. After a few minutes, Bass slowed and pulled out of her, kneeling back. Charlie looked up at him expectantly.

"Charlie, can you get on your hands and knees for me?" Realizing what he was suggesting, Charlie's heart began to pound. She rolled over, then raised herself up as Bass had suggested, arching her back deeply.

"Like this?" she asked. "I've never…" Charlie looked back over her shoulder and trailed off. Bass had his cock in his hand and was staring at her, pupils blown, stroking himself slowly, his mouth slightly agape. It seemed he liked what he saw. Gently, he nudged her legs further apart and positioned himself behind her with his hands on her hips.

The second he began to fill her, Charlie knew that this was different. Bass' cock felt impossibly huge from this angle, and she groaned deeply as he pushed inside her. Charlie felt the friction between them as he pulled out slowly then entered her again, picking up his tempo as she adjusted. Reaching underneath her, Bass stroked her breasts, and Charlie found herself pushing back against him, more turned on than she could ever remember being. Bass groaned as he snapped his hips against hers, plunging into her more and more deeply.

With Bass' cock hitting her inside at just the right angle, Charlie felt like she was close, but couldn't quite get there. Rocking her hips back against Bass, she tried for more friction, then raised one of her hands up to fondle her clit as Bass fucked her from behind. Charlie stroked herself a few times, and Bass pushed her forward gently.

"Lie down," he commanded, and she flattened herself on the ground beneath him, with Bass still inside her and her hand underneath her body. Bass rolled them slightly to the side and worked his cock in and out of her at a rapid pace. At the same time, he covered her hand with his own, rubbing her where they were joined as she stroked her clit. The sensations were too much, and Charlie shattered, screaming out and throwing her head back against Bass' chest as she spasmed on his cock.

Bass plastered his hands to her body, holding her in place as he fucked her even harder, his cock moving in and out of her with brutal strength, working her through the last shudders of her orgasm. Charlie felt his movements grow more frantic, and finally with one deep thrust, he came inside her, groaning into the side of her neck. Charlie felt his warm cum filling her, his cock emptying inside her, and she moaned in contentment.

They lay there for several long moments, naked but warm in front of the fireplace, Bass spooning Charlie, running his hand gently along her skin. Charlie closed her eyes and concentrated on the feeling of Bass' strong body against hers, the masculine smell of him, the feel of his breath on her hair.

Charlie had almost dozed off when Bass finally spoke, lazily in her ear, "You're the best Christmas present ever."

Charlie snorted. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure if you asked a mall Santa for this, you'd get arrested."

Bass laughed and held her more tightly. His tone more serious, he said, "I meant what I said about you being all I want."

Grinning, Charlie rolled around to face Bass. "You mean this wasn't just a one-night stand?" she teased.

With an exaggerated frown, Bass chided her, "Do I look like the kind of guy who broods for months over a woman who's just a one-night stand?"

Charlie raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Months, huh? You sure like to take your time."

Bass shrugged. "I had to balance my feelings for you against inevitably being murdered by Miles."

Nodding sagely, Charlie said, "Oh, of course. And what finally tipped the scales?"

"Had to be that little red dress," Bass said, fighting down a grin. When Charlie punched him in the chest, he laughed and added, "Plus I figured, isn't Christmas the season of charity? Maybe he'll go easy on me." Charlie just looked at Bass skeptically, and he amended, "Well, whatever he does, we'll deal with it. Together. Sound good?"

In response, Charlie stretched up to kiss him, trying with that gesture to convey everything she wanted to say but didn't have the words for. When they finally broke apart, she said simply, "Merry Christmas, Bass."

Tucking a loose lock of hair behind her ear, gazing down at her tenderly, Bass replied, "Merry Christmas, Charlotte."


End file.
